QuantumArbiter

Thats what my english teacher says, and every time I write about something regarding a personal story or something, she dismisses it.

She wants me to connect my essays with my major of interest...is it an incorrect approach to discuss something non-academic?

Djokovic

Hmmm I don't think everything has to be academic.

But naturally, MIT students wrap their personalities and interests are science and math related things, so it isn't much of a problem for them to write both an essay that expresses their characteristics without leaving behind academics.

molliebatmit

I don't think it's an incorrect approach.

You should definitely think about how your application reads as a whole package, because as we've reiterated here on CC many times, the admissions officers only get to know about you what you give them in the application. For some people, it might be a useful stylistic choice to tie many disparate pieces of the application together with a theme (academic or otherwise). For others, it would come off gimmicky or forced. But the choice of overall style is up to you.

PiperXP

It all depends on you. It sounds like you want to do something different then what your English teacher wants you to do - and what you want to do is totally reasonable. Have you considered asking a different teacher to edit your essay?

kemcab

I honestly don't think you have to. Regardless of my course load I'm very bored at school and the like. I learn things much faster on my own rather than when doing some kind of organized activity like a class or club and I mention that in my application, except for the 'school is boring' part.

It's easier to fall back on academics because it's more structured and easier to pad your resume with, I think, regardless of what those activities meant to you or how well you performed.

QuantumArbiter

Well, there are places where i can talk about my interest (physics), but I also want to talk about other things I do...like play chess, a time where I did a prank....etc..

I dont want to keep talking about physics.

Mikalye

Yes, in my personal opinion, which I wish to make clear is absolutely unofficial in any way.

Are you an international by any chance? That is an entirely appropriate response if applying to a wide variety of international schools. For example, if applying to Cambridge, using your personal statement to discuss anything other than the glories of your intended field of study and your passion for it is a mistake. However at Cambridge, you are admitted to (say) the physics department. Whereas at MIT, you are admitted to the university.

One of the reasons that intended major has so little impact on MIT admissions is that nobody knows what they want to major in. Nobody chooses to major in Nuclear Engineering due to that great experience they had with their high school reactor. Indeed most fields of study offered at the university do not exist in high school. Even fields like Economics, Meteorology, and Archaeology which people have some idea about, probably were not taught in Secondary school. Even for those who do come in with a clear idea, say for example that they have a real love of chemistry. OK, then do they want to major in Chemistry, in Chemical Engineering, or in Materials Science, all of which rely hugely on chemistry, or do they want to do biochemistry? Do they even know the difference?

A straight majority of MIT students change their intended major, and speaking ONLY about your love for a particular subject is often misguided. MIT is looking to admit real people. If the only thing that comes off of an application is that you like and do well in physics then that, in my personal, unofficial opinion, does not enhance your application in any way.

If MIT asks what you do for fun, bringing in physics is vaguely strange (barring your being a Yo-Yo champion or some other such thing), if MIT asks "Tell us about your background and how that affected who you are" then bringing in Physics is again a tad unusual.

From the MIT website. The essays "are the places in the application where we look for your voice - who you are, what drives you, what's important to you, what makes you tick. Be honest, be open, be real - this is your opportunity to connect with us."

Don't think for a moment that they are lying about that.

SimpleLife

I agree with Mikalye. Your English teacher may not be correct. I ended up viewing the MIT forum in a roundabout way. Don't know much about what MIT, specifically, is looking for in their essays. But my children and I have visited many, many colleges over the past few years, and every one of them -- 100% -- say they want to hear about the "personal" you. The essay is the best place, they say, where they can learn about who you are -- what makes you tick -- what floats your boat. They don't want you to regurgitate in essay-form what they've already got from you in data-form. They want to get to know you, through your essay. So your essay CAN show the academic you, if that means it reveals who you are as student - what excites you, or what have you. Or, it can show the non-academic you. The point of the essay, we've been told by dozens of colleges, is to reveal to them (a) that you can write and express yourself in a meaningful way, and (b) more about who you really are, beyond your stats.

Disclaimer: MIT may be different! They may want to know only about the academic you. But schools like Rice, Wash U, Vanderbilt, CMU, Wash & Lee, Johns Hopkins, and dozens of others all said, at their info sessions or interviews, that the essay is a place to reveal the personal you. My kids have followed this advice and been admitted to every college to which they've applied. Granted, they only applied to places that truly were a very good fit for them.

Suggestion: Why don't you call or email the admissions rep for your area and ask themaa? If they're like every other college we've had dealings with (well, it's MIT -- maybe they're not), they'd be happy to help you put together the best application possible by answering your questions.

jessiehl

Nah, you've got the right idea. Not that it's wrong to talk about the academic you, but you should only do that if you're actually answering the questions asked. And if you have a non-academic story that would answer the questions better than the academic one, you may want to consider using that instead.